Understanding stress in the workplace

Stress is a current buzz word in our world of comparison and relentless drive.

It is a by-product of a life-style where to pause is often seen as to fail. And yet stop we must or something that gets us out of the way of an out of control car, or out of bed in the morning can become a chronic condition. As opposed to a useful commodity that energises us.

So, what is stress?

It is a burst of energy that enables us to move, to study, to set a goal and achieve it. It is not all bad.

However.

There are two types of stress:

Acute: where the levels rise in the face of an event or to manage a situation, only to settle down again once things return to normal. It is the adrenal response often known as the fight or flight hormone.

Chronic: where the relentless, never-ending slog is unremittent and there is no space to pause. This type of stress can be a killer.

Why?

Because when stress becomes chronic the cortisol levels in the body remain elevated. These can cause a litany of symptoms that are unpleasant at one end of the scale and can be fatal at the other.

Cortisol

Cortisol is produced when we become stressed, but when the danger has passed, or the task has been completed it settles down to normal levels. When stress is unrelenting cortisol levels remain elevated and result in many symptoms that are often laid at the feet of tiredness.

Here are a few.

Brain fog. Cortisol can shrink neurons in the hippocampus in the brain. This part stores our memories. It can also prevent new brain cells being made and as brain cells need to be frequently renewed the symptoms are obvious. Dementia is on the increase in middle age, as is the risk of mental health problems.

Hypertension- raised blood pressure. Relentless raised blood pressure can lead to strokes and even heart attacks.